


Kuini Hou (part III of III)

by ariadnes_string



Series: Kuini Hou [3]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-04
Updated: 2012-03-04
Packaged: 2017-11-01 02:44:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/351068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariadnes_string/pseuds/ariadnes_string
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kono goes undercover to defend the things she believes in.  (Based loosely on <i>The Book of Esther</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kuini Hou (part III of III)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [arithilim](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arithilim/gifts).



> a/n: plot drawn loosely, and with the greatest respect and humility, from The Book of Esther.

“I feel like I’m in a Scooby Doo episode,” Danny said, shifting irritably in the front seat of the Camaro.

“Shut up, Danny—this is serious.” Steve thought about giving him a smack for emphasis, but decided against it—they had distinguished company after all.

“I know that. Doesn’t mean it’s still not like Scooby Doo. You’re just sad because you’re Velma.”

“I am not Velma.” Steve hated it when he got dragged into Danny’s little riffs. “I’m Fred.”

“You are so Velma. Velma’s the Science Guy, and you’re our Science Guy. You’re Velma.”

Steve was about to inform Danny that anybody who ate like he did was Shaggy, when Xavier Ackerman made an irritated noise in the back seat.

“Steve’s right,” Kono said from her place beside Ackerman. “These are some first-class assholes we’re dealing with, not two-bit villains in rubber monster masks.”

Chastened, Danny held his tongue, and they all resumed their silent watch.

+++

When Kono had called him at 2am three nights ago, Steve’s first sleep-dazed thought had been that things had gotten out of hand with Ackerman.

“Where are you?” he’d said without waiting for her greeting. “Don’t move—I’m coming to get you.”

She’d laughed. “Boss, how many times I have to tell you I don’t need rescuing? I’m fine.”

He’d laughed too, and slumped back on the pillows, willing his heart to stop pounding.

“Xav said no one’s pressing charges with Chin—that true?” she’d asked.

“Yeah, I think someone was just trying to make a point—though what point it was, I don’t know.” 

“I don’t know either,” Kono had said. “But I think I might be starting to have an idea. Look, Steve, there’s something else I need your help with. Something maybe not totally official.”

“Yeah, of course, anything,” he’d assured her, hoping he wasn’t lying.

“Okay,” she said, “Here’s the thing.”

As she’d left Ackerman’s house after the benefit (Steve was embarrassingly relieved to hear she hadn’t spent the night), she’d heard voices in the shadows along the side of the mansion: Hauser and his thugs. They’d come back from dragging Chin down to the local HPD station, but rather than simply gloating in their victory, they’d been plotting something new.

Kono had crouched in the shadow of an azalea bush and listened.

They’d been planning a further attack on Chin—retaliation for standing up to them in Ackerman’s presence. Joking about it too, making up some kind of lottery for which day the confrontation would take place. And Hauser had been egging them on.

The whole thing had seemed stranger and stranger to Kono. Having that kind of conflict break out in his house, at a benefit for preservation groups, no less, hadn’t reflected well on Ackerman—being associated with any further violence would make him look even worse in the eyes of the religious and cultural groups he needed to appease to make the Sunset Acres development work.

Either Hauser had a deep, violent streak of prejudice he was unable to control—or he was playing some kind of game against his employer.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” Kono had concluded, “and I promised Xav I’d go sailing with him. But I was wondering if you guys would check into Hauser for me? I know Danny doesn’t think much of Hawaiian religion, but—“

“You leave Danny to me,” Steve had interrupted. 

She’d let out a relieved breath. “The thing is—if Hauser is working against him, and I can get Xav to see that, then maybe, just maybe, he’ll reconcile with the groups trying to protect the burial cave just to save face.”  
+++

And thus Steve had occasion once again to admire Kono’s good instincts. The smallest amount of digging revealed significant chunks of money passing into Hauser’s bank account from Warner Wescott, one of Ackerman’s closest competitors.

Kono had shown Ackerman the figures, and he was halfway to firing Hauser and compromising with the preservation groups already. He didn’t have many moral scruples, but he was too good a business man to let his reputation be tarnished to that extent. But he wanted more visual proof before he made the final decision.

“Right on time,” Danny said, as a heavy black town car pulled into Chin’s street, out of place among the motorcycles and vans of the residents.

They watched it slow to a halt in front of Chin’s house. A thickset man got out, went up the walk to Chin’s door, and pounded.

“Simonofsky,” Ackerman hissed. 

Chin opened the door. He’d known what to expect, of course, but you’d never have guessed it from the innocently outraged expression on his face.

Simonofsky, who thought he had the advantage of surprise, put a beefy hand on the back of Chin’s neck and half-pushed, half-dragged him onto his lawn, where the rest of his posse waited. 

Steve’s hands itched with the desire to even things up, but he let Hauser’s crew try to get a few good ones in before he turned on the Camaro’s lights and flung open the door.

“HPD,” he yelled, “Nobody move.”

“Down on the ground, fellas, hands behind your heads.” That was Danny, advancing with his gun raised.

One of them, stupider than the rest, made a run for it, but it took Kono all of ten seconds to bring him down with a well-aimed kick.

When the dust settled, Ackerman surveyed the five cuffed men. He stared at Hauser for a long moment—something sad battling something murderous in his face. When he saw the next man in line, though, he almost spat with anger. “Markov—one of Wescott’s personal security detail.”

A moment later, Kono had drawn him aside—to let him cool off, presumably, and to drive home the necessity of making amends on the Sunset Acres site. 

“Hope she lets him down gently,” said Danny.

“She’ll leave him feeling lucky to have spent even one evening with her,” Steve told him, while Chin laughed his agreement.

 


End file.
